I sat there making the idlest of conversations with that guard until Sandra returned with a girl beside her. "What happened there?"
Sandra looked flustered and shook her head quickly. "Long story, but she's ours now."
The guard raised a brow and looked at me. "You're not going to change her, I hope? It's a crime to do that to humans that don't want it."
Cindy smiled at him. "Oh heavens no. We wouldn't do that to anyone that didn't want it, besides, look how adorable she is just the way she is."
The girl looked up at me, or us. Her eyes were darting between me and Cindy. "Are you feral? What are you? You don't even look finished."
I pointed at Cindy. "You can blame her for that. I'm Will, and she's Cindy, and we won't hurt you, promise. What's your name?"
Before she could answer, Sandra did so, "Lizzie's her name. She was... owned by another pony, can you believe that?"
The guard, who had never left, raised a brow. "Nothing unusual about that, ma'am. Don't you own her now?"
Sandra quickly nodded. "Of course! I'll take good care of her."
Cindy's voice echoed in my head, ~Karen? Are you trying to reach her?~ I looked towards Sandra and saw a tongue making a subtle route, though it drew back at the question. ~Stop that. We have to be good. Besides, if you infect her where anyone here can see, they'll get angry, and probably violent.~
~Fine,~ answered Karen with a petulant tone to her mental voice.
Sandra let out a bit of a sigh, clearly relieved that her passenger would calm down. Lizzie, unaware of the internal dialogue, was confused. "Did I miss something?"
Sandra pat her with a hoof. "Nothing important, say, why don't we set up camp just over there and relax instead of standing around all day?"
We withdrew away from the guard's post and settled down in a small clearing where we were still visible, but not quite as easily audible. I sank to my belly, and Sandra quickly followed suit. Lizzie, on the other hand, remained standing and looked between us, still nervous, or so I thought. I offered a hand to her. "We're perfectly harmless, just no licking or kissing, which we don't plan to do."
Lizzie went more rigid instead of less. "So y-you're really ferals then?"
Cindy shook her head. "Not the way you know it. In fact, I'm the 'feral' part of William, and I'm perfectly nice. I don't want to infect you, Lizzie. I want you to be happy, which means none of that, unless you really wanted to be a pony."
Lizzie nodded at Cindy before turning to Sandra. "So where's your feral part?"
Sandra tensed. "I never said I was feral!" Her voice was strained, more of a squeak than anything.
Lizzy smirked a little. "You just did."
Sandra sagged in place. "I suppose I did. I meant what I said though. I mean, I won't try to turn you into a pony, I swear, even if we go away from the town." She winced then as if she were having a headache. "No... I won't... Not unless she wants it, and she doesn't."
I reached out a hand and pulled Sandra closer. She calmed down as I stroked over her. "Karen?" Sandra's ear perked towards me. "We're not trying to ignore you. It'd be easier if you had a way to talk."
Sandra stiffened before she grunted and spoke with a subtly different voice, "What do you want, Will?"
Cindy frowned a little. "I hope you asked Sandra before you did that."
'Karen' rolled her eyes. "We're talking right now. So what did you want?"
I decided to stay the course, and gently stroked over Sandra/Karen's spine. "You're a part of our group, our herd. I haven't forgotten that, and I want you to be welcome, even if we don't agree about everything."
'Karen' let out a little purr before she pointed a hoof at the confused-looking Lizzie. "So why can't I have her? She'd like it afterwards, and there aren't nearly enough 'parasites' around." She grinned at Lizzy and flashed her tongues. "Tell them, wouldn't you like long things like this? They're cool."
Lizzie shook her head quickly and ducked a hand behind her back. "No! I'm happy the way I am, thank you."
Cindy's horn glowed, and a dagger was wrenched out of the girl's hands and thrown away some thirty yards or so. "No violence, please."
Sandra's expression shifted and she became herself. "Lizzie... did you do it? Was that you?"
Lizzie shrunk on herself, disarmed and nervous. "Do what?"
I had no idea what Sandra was getting at, but decided to try to ease things. "Whatever it is, it's OK, Lizzie. Nobody here is angry at anybody else."
Sandra glanced at me, then looked to Lizzie with increasing uncertainty. "Did you kill your old owner?"
Lizzie worried over her lip, not confessing to anything, but it seemed confession enough.
Cindy frowned sharply. "Why? Killing is wrong, always."
Lizzie hopped back a step. "That's easy for you to say, feral! She wanted to take everything away from me, even... me. She decided I was 'too young' to make up my mind and was ready to get me turned into a pony through any means."
Sandra held up a hoof at me and Cindy. "Why is your friend taking the blame for this? Did you do it, or him?"
The girl went silent and turned away from all of us.
Sandra sighed softly and began to explain, "Another guy took the rap for killing that pony. He's shackled and waiting to die of exposure in the town square, and she was sold, to me. Now I'm not sure which of them actually did the deed..."
"He was just protecting me," she said with a sniffle in her voice. "He doesn't deserve any of that..."
Cindy turned up her snout. "You shouldn't have killed her, it was wrong. Don't you even feel bad for destroying her pattern like that? It was unique and can never be replaced."
Lizzie looked back at Cindy with a confused expression. "What?"
I couldn't help but laugh a little at how Cindy explained things. "It means everyone is an individual, unique, and when they are gone, they can't ever come back. The world is a slightly smaller place for them being sent away early." I held out two hands close together, then clapped them shut. "Did you do it?" I glanced at the guard who was at his station, seemingly not paying much mind to us. "Tell us. We're not going to turn you in."
She shuffled in place and didn't answer. Before the silence could get too awkward, the rest of the herd came down the street, or at least Neon and Dust Kicker. I wondered where Dusk Hope was. When they got close, I waved them over, and we all relaxed together. "So where'd Hope go? I would have expected him with you."
Neon pointed back to the town. "He seemed confident he could earn us dinner, and off he ran. If he isn't back in a few hours, I'd get worried, but we should trust the little fluffball until then." She looked at Dust Kicker pointedly. "He's trying his best, and he wants to help."
Dust Kicker snorted loudly at Neon's challenge. "I never said he couldn't try, he just doesn't succeed as often as I'd like."
I reached for Dust and rubbed over an ear. "He's taught you some magic, hasn't he? Has he been doing that well?"
Dust Kicker squirmed under the rubbing as she gave a hesitant nod. "Y-yes, he has. He's paying attention in my fighting instruction, but it's a slow path."
I softly rubbed along her neck. "Do you really think he's not worth the time?"
Dust sagged in place and shook her head. "No... No... I suppose he's fine. I'm just... What's your deal, girl?" She focused on Lizzie. "I don't remember having human guests."
Lizzie backed a step. "Is she feral too?"
Neon gave a bit of a giggle. "Oh, no. Me and Dust Kicker here are clean. I'm Neon, by the way. What's your name?"
"Lizzie..."
They began to talk softly. It seemed Neon and Lizzie were getting along reasonably well. I took the time to draw Dust Kicker over to sit beside Sandra and receive my petting. "So, Dust, tell me how it is. Is he still making passes at you?"
Dust shook her head quickly. "No. He stopped that when I told him to, but he still looks at me. He obviously wants me, even if he doesn't say it."
I nodded. "But he's obeying the limits you set, been polite, and tried to be helpful where he can, right?"
Dust sank, chin on the ground. "Are you saying it's me?"
I gently rubbed her between the ears. "I'm not blaming people. I do think he wants to be a good member of the herd, and he wants a chance with everyone in it. He's been a good friend to Cindy, Sandra, and I, and I think he would like to be yours too, whether or not you ever even entertain the idea of being his mate. His friendship is not conditional on you eventually raising your tail."
Cindy chimed in suddenly, "It's true. He really looks up to you, Dust Kicker. He thinks you're an amazing pony, for your skill, and strength, and he's talked to me about your magical ability. 'Not as complex as mine, but stronger than many!', that's what he said, and he had such a smile. He really likes sharing magic with you, and just being with you, as a friend. That's what he wants, friends, family. The sex part? He can wait for that, if it ever happened."
Sandra couldn't help but hear it, seated beside Dust as she was. "Are you really learning magic that well? That's good to hear. Hmmph, I don't get any magic, just these tongues, but I guess they're pretty interesting in their own way."
A subtly different voice, Karen's voice, spoke using Sandra's mouth, "They're more than interesting! They can do so much. You don't even know the half of it. You're not 'crippled' without magic, you are empowered with your own kind of magic."
Hope came trotting along the road with a proud expression, and hauling a cart behind him of some kind. He spotted our gathering and wheeled the cart to us while waving a hoof excitedly. "Dinner's served!"
The cart had a variety of foods on plates covered with waxy slips that kept the still warm meals fresh and ready for us. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until the smell hit me. Talking could wait, food time had arrived. I made a note to thank Dusk Hope for his efforts.